I thought I would blog tonight, before things get too crazy again! I will probably send out my summer email to everyone in the next couple of weeks with some new pictures and more details. . .

First, I start my part-time teaching job at the university's English institutue next week, but classes don't start till the week after that. So excited!! Looking for great things to come out of this, and can't wait to graduate and leave my current job. Do not get me wrong I like working with the clients for the most part, but hate the company's politics and rules. The supervisor and I well, we don't get along much either. Don't do what I did, but I told her that we aren't friends, I am just her employee and will continue to do my best until I can say see ya later!

My mother has two more rounds of chemo, and she is doing okay. She had to get a shot three days in a row the week after the first round because her white blood cells were low. She took a job in the Orlando area and will be moving there at the beginning of August. I am a bit sad about this. . . but happy for her. It makes me all the more want to leave here after graduation and perhaps go Southeast for a while.

The tornado that went through Joplin that was something, wasn't it? It shocked us here and scared us especially since that storm was heading this direction for a while that night. I have not been there or seen it in person, but might later in June. . . but kind of don't want to because I'll be upset. Plus, not to mention that after that happened we were all on edge for like three days because of the possibility of tornadoes. We went to dinner with my mother one night, two day later, and we were the only ones in the restaurant and the TV was on with all the tornadoes in OK and Kansas coming right at us that night. No one was out and we kind of left there like, "well this could be it" but no one said it. It was just like text us if the tornado is coming and we'll just say hi. The storms all died that night after they crossed into our area, Thank God! But let me tell you we are going to take tornado sirens and warnings seriously now like everyone in Missouri will for at least the next couple of years!

Our daughter is doing well. . . she is getting so big and starting to talk more and more mainly Korean words. She goes everywhere and gets into everything if you don't stop her. Really exhausting and keeps us busy, but of course I love her so much. She is almost 2! That is unbelievable how fast the time went. . . still amazed at how much our lives have changed after having her. (Some really happy and exciting things. Other things still remember fondly like a distant dream that we could do at ease and places we could go without a big fuss before our baby. However, before we know it some of this shall pass too and we will have new challenges as parents.) That is a bit scary too!

After writing this, I realize how long my summer edition email is going to be. (maybe I should start typing soon.)

I feel the urge to blog after reading a couple of people's blogs that decided to blog after a long time of nothing. It makes me excited and feel like I can look forward to new blogs to fun and interesting things!


I haven't blogged in a while too. My beautiful daughter is growing so fast now. . . she is over 20 months old! Soon, she'll be 2 and in some ways that makes me feel a little sad that this time is going so very fast! She is keeping us very busy!


I am finished for the semester, but this summer I am going to be taking another part-time job teaching English to international students at my university's English institute. In the fall, my last semester, I'll be a GA and working full=time plus taking two classes! YEAH!
But, I am starting to see the light at the end of my tunnel of my life right now! :)


I am busy, but starting to feel more content in my life with everything! I don't know if content is the right word, but at a better place than even last summer.


My mom has beat breast cancer, she had a mastectomy. However, she has to take four rounds of chemo starting tomorrow. She took a new job in Florida, Orlando area and will start at the beginning of August. That is great! But it is far away!


Other than that, I will have fresh peas soon since my plants finally have flowers on them. I have one cabbage that is still doing well that I have hopes for, some flowers and tomato plants soon!

These pictures all make me very happy right now and feel peaceful! As Spring is coming and I have already planted some vegetables. . . I just wanted some inspiration! I hope heaven is full of gardens and fresh flowers and vegetables!

Enjoy. . . I want to go to these places.

Hi. . . everyone I guess we are 2011 now!!

I wish I had more time to post on this blog and exciting and interesting things to say, but not too much at the moment. I am trying to really limit my complaining and real life stuff to only email and off of this blog and facebook as much as possible! I think I have been doing fairly well lately, so that is good.

I haven't really read any books lately that I have wanted to read. I did have a library book that I was reading and got over half way through, but then my children's literature class started. So far, I have been busy reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Little Women, Treasure Island, and next is Alice and the Wonderland. So far my favorite is Treasure Island, at least it is more exciting then Little Women. I do have a greater appreciation for that book now though after reading the whole thing.

I am so ready to graduate! Hopefully I can get everything done by December and it will have only taken me 2 1/2 years to get my masters, while working full time and having a family!

Like I said before I read another book by Nicholas Sparks, which was Dear John. It took me about six weeks, I read big chunks at a time but because of everything going on wasn't able to finish it sooner.

My opinion was that it is a beautiful, but at the same time a was horrible book! There was too much loss and grief in this story and the ending wasn't exactly happy, but was in a way. At times I had a hard time reading this book because it was so sad and painful at points.

I told myself several times in my mind that I wasn't going to finish it because it was just too much with everything else going on in my life, but I did. I guess I am glad I did, but sometimes books leave me with strong feelings and emotions. Granted Nicholas Sparks is not like a famous author or will probably go down as acclaimed in the literature world, but the stories seems real enough to me.

That's it.

I have wanted to blog for a while now. . . but when I want to I never know what to say or have anything to say and when I have something to blog about I don't have the time!

There doesn't seem to be enough time in the day, week, month, year and on and on for everything. However, that is just an excuse and also that is not a good attitude. I should be living for now and living like it could be my last minute or day or whatever. However, I really find it hard to take that attitude sometimes when I have all this work to do for my job, school work, my family and "me" time.

My wife and I study the Bible together when we can, and sometimes this is 3-4 times a week and other times it could be once every two weeks. We are in Ephesians right now and usually do a chapter each time, read it and then talk about what stuck out to us and why and pray. This has been a really rewarding experience now and before also, but it is hard to find the time and even desire to do it at times. I think God almost feels like we have to for Him and for life in general because it seems to make things clearer and better for all involved when you focus on Him!

I am also going through a personal Advent devotional this year that I found on the INternet and downloaded for free from some Lutherans. I don't go to a Lutheran church and never have, but they are Christian just like me. Today was the start of the third week and the message in this devotional was about who do you trust. We should trust Jesus because He can help us with ANY problem that we have and wants us to lean on him with everything. I believe that I do this, but then when I thought about it, do I really do this?? When I was working on my 15 page paper last week, doing all my progress notes for my job, taking care of my daughter and being a husband do I always think about doing those for Jesus and the ones I love or because duty calls me to??

Give it all to Jesus!

I have been wanting to blog for a while now about something other than a book that I have read, but really don't know what to say anymore on here.

I am reading another Nicholas Sparks book right now though. . . I think after this one I might have to take a break from them.

School is going okay, already turned in one paper for the semester. Another one is due later. I am not going to give my topics away though at least not until they get published or become famous or something. One of my professors said that the one paper might be a good opportunity for me to try to get grant money to do the research. I haven't actually done the research on it yet, this semester was just kind of setting it up.

I don't know how I feel about the sudden weather changes and November finally starting to feel like November. Today when it was dreary and rainy, I almost thought it would be nice to see snow flakes flying in the sky. But then I quickly remember last year, when we were so ready for Spring but kept having pop up snow showers all the time and it was so cold!

I guess that's it for now!

Just finished another book by Nicholas Sparks. . . seem to be reading him a lot lately. I guess it is a nice break from school, work and everything else. They are usually nice stories and it is refreshing to read kind of a love/life story narrated by a man usually. It isn't super mushy or scandalous, so it is nice.

However, I must admit this book was really hard to get through. Usually, you can predict and know how his stories are going to end even though it doesn't matter because the story is so good. This one I had to actually skip ahead and read the end to make sure that I would be okay. It was really hard to read and painful about this husband and what happened to him and his family. I did read it and found myself thinking a little bit the choice that he made was pretty selfish, but then I thought what would I do in the same situation? I'd probably be selfish too, but it was very difficult to read at times waiting for it to end. It was different from the other books that I read by him, but it was a good read.

That is all I have to say right now.

Just wanted to say hi and let you know that I am still alive. Is it just me or is blogging going out of style??

Anyway, I am still working and as always busy with all of my clients and all the paperwork that comes from the job.

School. . . well let's just say most of the time I feel like I am one of the worst graduate students there ever was because I barely keep up with everything. And let's just say I am lucky to get all if any of the reading done at times. One of my classes is really good though, but challenging. The professor is really challenging us to think outside of our bubbles and really get the most out of graduate school and think about where we want to be after we finish. I am hoping to be able to finish my Masters in English with an emphasis in TESOL next Fall. (If you didn't know that.) But really I just feel like I can't devote enough time to it and I really should.

On top of being a husband and a father, which keeps you busy even if you didn't have anything else going on. I am looking forward to the day when we can move again to someplace where we want to be and doing what we want to do! But keep trying to look for the positive and make the most out of things why we are here!

Still Blogging. . .

Our daugher and mommy and daddy all survived the first year birthday party and celebrations. However, our daughter was lucky enough to be able to take a nap in the middle of the party. . . mommy and daddy had to wait till bed time. It was really fun though. . . if you know me on facebook look for pictures there.

In other news, school has started again and it has made me start thinking what will I do with a M.A. in English with an emphasis on TESOL. Do I want to go on still after this with Linguistics?? Is that even realistic for me?? Do I seriously want to be somewhere and people have to call me DR. . . ?? (not really to tell you the truth), but my mind has been wondering. That is if I can even think of a research topic for this semester's papers. haha

Ready for this hot weather to be over. . . I wouldn't mind it getting cooler again, crisp Fall weather!

Well, getting ready to move again after being here for about 21 months, almost 2 years. This is the longest I've been in one place since I was 18 when I left for college and that has been about 8 years now. Who knows how long we will stay at this next time probably at least a year maybe if we'll lucky we'll stay for 2!

Moving is always such a big deal and pain. I remember moving out of the first apartment in Seoul before I came back to the US for a couple of months with all my stuff and that was an ordeal. I will never forget that and getting everything done in like a 24 hour period because I was so busy! I also remember the first year that I moved into a house off of campus my sophomore year into this basement of a very old house and then helping my roomate move in when he came and going to breakfast with his parents the next morning. Anyway. . . not important. . .

Enjoy the summer.

A couple of books to share that I read over the past month or so. . .

The Devil's Whisper by Miyuki Miyabe was first published in Japan in 1989. She has also wrote All that she's worth and Shadow Family that I liked better. This book was a little bit on the weird side for me and didn't really feel too much closure at the end of it with the main characters. Basically, a man used a very high form hypnosis to kill women who used men to gain money, and the way he did it made it look like they were all suicide except for the last one. This woman was hit by this boy's uncle who was a taxi driver and then is about the boy basically figuring everything out and learning what really happened to his father years ago. I don't know, I didn't speed through this read or particularly enjoy it or get much from it.

However, The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks well that was a different story. I guess I am a bit of a romantic or something, but this might be my favorite book that I have ready by Mr. Sparks so far. The love story was very intense and I am not just talking about the steamier places in the book with pure passion out of love, but how much the man loved his wife even when she didn't know who he was and was dying of Alzheimer's disease. I believe that this book and how it made me feel and think will stay with me for a while, but most of his books do that. It was a beautiful story!

Do I really want to work on a Sunday?? Do I really want to see a client on a Sunday??

Well, yep that is what I will be doing. . . going to my "special" client's house at about 5, which is a 30 minute drive each way to make sure he takes some medication to make sure he doesn't have a reaction, so we can start giving him medications through injections. This client has been a little bit of a thorn in my side. . . he is infamous in my agency and I have had to attend meetings with the vice-president and other supervisors about this client and why he is so off the lines of sanity. I have been in an hour long appointment with my supervisor, his psychiatrist, and him where yelling is involved.

I hope what we are doing really starts to work soon! (Not sure how much more I could take if it doesn't.)

"That people's memories are maybe the fuel they burn to stay alive." This was my favorite line from this book I think from the same Japanese author who has wrote The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles and Kafka on the Shore. After Dark is a very short and fast read, but is another book that takes you into a very different reality than yours. In this story one is very real and the other one is also very real too, but in a different sense. It mainly follows the main character, who is a 19 year old Japanese girl who stays out all night in a neighborhood where she doesn't really fit into, but is there for a different reason than you might think. This book introduces us to many characters that all lead different lives during the night and some of it is very freaky and shady, others very real and personal. I liked this story and if you like this author I would suggest reading this book.

Without getting too personal. . . I am just so frustrated with insurance companies in particular companies that should be bending over backwards to take care of me since they are liable for the accident I had. Just so frustrated that they wouldn't extend my rental car even when I don't have a car yet, a check from them for my car, and need to work.



I should have a car by Saturday though. . . .



So frustrating!!!

Garden Update on the 4th of July



So, it is about the halfway point in the summer already (not technically), but still time for an update.



I am glad everything is mostly in pots, since we are getting ready to move possibly pretty soon. Anyway, the pea plants have seen to hit their second wind even though they look pretty raggedy on the bottom and almost dead. Not to mention that they are leaning on each other almost horizontal, but I have probably 10 new flowers with more coming so that means pea pods. So, far I don't have enough peas to really make anything, so I am keeping them in the freezer till I can have enough for a cold summer soup. I hope that when I put them in the freezer they keep their sweetness! ~

I have two lettuce plants in a pot and the leaves don't seem to be getting that big. Not much of a success on that one. . . and when the leaves aren't big enough they taste pretty bitter. Anyone have any advice on how to grow good lettuce in pots for next year??

The tomato plants having good success with the cherry ones. I have mastered the art of pruning I think because I am getting some nice size ones. The other ones just got some new good soil that should provide some nutrition, so hopefully they will start growing like rockets. I hope that they start getting some flowers on them soon. The rest of the flowers in pots are doing pretty well. . . my marigolds under the oak tree are nothing spectacular. The soil isn't the best, but I hope maybe they start to spread some including the tomato plant that got mixed up in the mix under the tree. I am praying and hoping for some good tomatoes!

In the middle of this hot summer heat and getting sick, car accidents, working and everything plus trying to find a place to move into before school starts again. These all are for another day and email though, but I want to talk about lighter subjects.

1. My Garden - lettuce well I am still holding out hope for 2 of them, but I don't know. It is soo hot for them and I don't know how big the leaves will get. I have had fair success with peas, and probably would've had more luck if I used some liquid seaweed or some kind of organic feed. I think they are almost finishied and the peas have been kind of small to about the average size of a pea. I am freezing them in a bag, but probably won't have enough to make a cold pea soup :(.
Cherry tomatoes are growing well and I am getting some big ones after some pruning and good care. The other tomato plants by the time they get big enough for flowers it might be September unless I try to feed them with something.
I feel like I am getting better each year though, so hopefully next year wherever we are we will have enough to actually supply meals!

2. The Wind-up Bird Chronicle not to far into it yet, but it is providing some relaxation in the kind of surreal like world that the book creates, but at the same time is based in reality. I don't believe any of the philosophies or way of thinking, but it is kind of a nice distraction from everything. It is so bizaire that it places you in a surreal place. I don't know really how else to explain it. Basically, it is about a man who is married and their cat disappears and the wife asks him to look for the cat and then before you know it his wife also disappears and all the strange occurences that happen as a result of all this.

Books

I finished The Calligrapher's Daughter last Monday and once I got into it, it was a fast read! It was a beautiful story of a Korean woman like I have talked about before that was born pretty much at the start of the Japanese occupation of Korea. Her father was a very stict and traditionalist and was opposed to a lot of what was happening in his country. The Japanese did a lot of horrible things while they occupied the country, but at the same time brought a turn to more modern thinking and ways, which is very ironic.

Anyway, this woman ends up finding love and the day after she is married is denied to go to America with her husband who is studying to be a minister. She ends up living with her in-laws in a very poor and harsh conditions away from her family, who were of the upper class which was very hard for her. But in Korean culture once a woman gets married she is supposed to take care of the husband's parents.

Finally, she gets back to her family and they lose everything because the Japanese took it over and even spent 90 days in jail in horrible conditions and hearing people being tortured. They accused her of being married to an American spy and all that went along with that. They moved to Seoul and in 1945 after Japan lost the war her husband comes back working for the US army after being seperated for 11 years.

It was a beautiful story of love and gives a slight glimpse of what maybe Korea was like during this time period and the feelings that people held about their counry. And the incredible sadness that many people felt at the loss of themselves during this time when everyone was forced to be Japanese, but still held on to their traditions and language.

Next. . . I think I am going to re-read The Wind-up Bird Chronicle again by Haruki Murakami. I actually read this book in 2007 when I was in Japan and then after it read another one by this author called, Kafka on the Shore. They told me that Kafka on the Shore is very popular and famous in Japan, but I personally like The Wind-up Bird Chronicle better. I'll probably re-read both of them. They are very surreal reads kind of this feeling of jumping from one reality to another but at the same time this big overall story is taking place. But it does it in a quiet almost errie way at times almost like how I felt in Japan at times, like a dream world that you wonder if it is really real or not? Interesting. . . and I think shows how unique Japanese society and thought patters are as a collective whole.

If you are looking for a good summer read, this might be it!!


(Once again - these books are fiction - I am just kind of talking about general feelings and thoughts not actual events or people.)

Still reading the novel, The Calligrapher's Daughter and I am about half way through at this point. I find it very interesting and a good story about Korea and the time in its history when Japan thought that Korea was part of their territory. I am not racist or anything, I've been to Japan and have Japanese friends, but more and more think that Japan needs to acknowledge and apologize for some things that happened in history. Good thing my blog isn't widely read by more than 2 or 3 people because that is a pretty strong statement. The book does a good job of really showing the history while the story is going on because what was happening in Korea at this time really influences how the story goes. The book started in 1915 and goes all the way to 1945 in America I think. . . very interesting read, look for it!

I'll let you know how I liked it as a whole after I finish!

I am not finished with this book yet, but I am really getting into it like most books that I like and read. This one takes place in Korea. . . which is cool and starts in 1915 and goes till 1945 during the Japenese takeover of the country. It is a book of fiction, but is based on historical facts and could easily see how the feelings and emotions must've been the same as during this time. The main character is about a girl who was born just shortly after the Japense moved in on Korea and her father didn't give her a name due to all the changes and wanted to keep Korea's ways. This book really shows a lot of the Korean traditions and ways of thinking that I still think make up Korea today at least from what I saw. I would recommend this book to anyone so far because it is very interesting and pretty captivating read too. You can also learn more about Korea's history in the process. It is finally nice to be able to read a book I want to read again after finishing school for the semester and not taking summer school!

In other news, the garden on the deck is growing well. . . the spinach and lettuce are starting to grow more. I might have some cherry tomatoes next week, cna you believe it!?